Face Down Among the Winchester

I must admit I was growing tired of Kathy Lynn Emerson's Lady Appleton but her latest book, FACE DOWN AMONG THE WINCHESTER GEESE, tops the series by rekindling my interest. An excellent plot and resolution to the fate of her husband, as well as Emerson's usual top-notch historical details and writing style.

Susanna is taken from Leigh Abbey to London by her husband Robert, but has no idea why. She is not aware that Robert is scheming with Diego Cordoba and the Spanish Embassy and needs her there in London. One day a petite dark haired lady named Diane St. Cyr comes to see Robert at their rental house on Catte Street. Robert is not present and Susanna takes a message to have him meet Diane at a place called the Falcon. Susanna is aware that Diane is probably one of Robert's many mistresses but gives him the message anyway. Robert goes to see Diane to find out what she wants. The next morning Diane is found in the streets dead.In order to clear Robert's name, Susanna begins to look into the murder and discovers that there have been several women(mostly prostitutes),with the same physical features murdered on the same day over a period of seven years.With the help of her maid-servant and friend Jennet, as well as a brothel keeper named Petronella, Susanna discovers who is killing the Winchester Geese(prostitutes)and what Robert has up his sleeve.This is the second Susanna, Lady Appleton mystery that I have read and found this one to be much more enjoyable.

The "Susanna, Lady Appleton" series is set in Elizabethan England. Lady Susanna Appleton is a shrewd, intelligent woman with a love of herbal studies and an uncomfortable arranged marriage to an "intelligence gatherer" for the crown. Lord Robert Appleton believes that a woman should be biddable and follow the guidance of her husband. He is also an indiscreet philanderer, as Susanna is all too aware.When a woman arrives unannounced at the Appletons' temporary residence in London, Susanna assumes she is another mistress of Robert's. When the woman is later discovered murdered in an alley, Susanna's sense of justice (and her need to absolve her husband of the crime) leads her to investigate. She soon discovers a pattern of killing that indicates more women will be murdered.Susanna is a well-drawn, enjoyable character whose strong sense of self is never corrupted by her tenuous relationship with her husband. Their interactions are always interesting and frustrating--as Susanna herself observes, theirs could have been a true match of equals were Robert ever to feel at ease with Susanna's independence. Unfortunately, he is a product of his times, and the couple is destined for unhappiness.The mystery is well done, as Susanna tracks a serial killer through the brothels of London. The ending is a little too tidy and resolved a bit too quickly, but all the clues were in place well before the resolution. I didn't feel surprised about the ending, but neither did I see it coming.Lord Robert's work as a spy keeps Susanna realistically involved with court intrigues, so her involvement with the mysteries doesn't yet feel forced (a problem that eventually plagues most series featuring amateur sleuths). I hope the author can keep it up.This is the third in this excellent series, which begins with "Face Down Upon an Herbal" and is followed by "Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie."

Suzanna, Lady Appleton, is hot on the trail again, this time in London amid a crowd of period detail and eccentric characters. Both Suzanna and the author seem to improve with each mystery. Recommended!

In 1563, Lord Robert Appleton, having political ambitions, insists that his spouse Susanna accompany him on his latest trip to visit the crown in London. Though Susanna would prefer to remain at their Leigh Manor estate studying her herbs as she normally does when her husband goes to see the crown, she knows she has no choice but to go with him. In London, Diana visits Robert, but since he is not home, Susanna sees her instead. Diana refuses to provide the reason for her visit or even a last name. However, she tells Susanna that Robert can come see her at Paris Gardens. Later on, Robert goes to see Diana and fails to return home that night. The next day, the constable comes to see the Appletons because a murdered woman has a note with their current address on her. Susanna identifies the corpse as her cousin Diana Leigh to protect her spouse. However, Susanna begins to investigate the murder, knowing that Robert could be the killer. The third Lady Appleton Elizabethan mystery is a superb historical who-done-it that provides readers with a taste for the period. The story line is entertaining as the murder investigation is cleverly designed. Susanna is a great amateur sleuth, but it is her relationship with Robert that makes the novel feel authentic. Fans of historical mysteries will relish this tale and its two predecessors (see FACE DOWN UPON AN HERBAL and FACE DOWN IN THE MARROW-BONE PIE) as well as the older historical novels from the obviously talented Kathy Lynn Emerson.Harriet Klausner